About
He has substantial experience on ground-breaking schemes both in the UK and internationally (particularly Europe and MENA) and regularly advises on datacentres, Build to Rent, student accommodation, luxury and boutique hotels, sports stadia, universities, skyscrapers, power projects and other infrastructure using a wide range of procurement strategies. He also advises on distressed construction projects and on remediation works, including fire safety matters.
He has particular expertise in Building Information Modelling, sustainable development and renewable energy and sits on the Construction Industry Council's Green Construction Panel. He chairs the Chartered Institute of Building’s Contract & Procurement Special Interest Group and is also Vice-Chair of the City of London Law Society's Construction Committee.
He co-authored the Chartered Institute of Building's Complex Projects Contract 2013 and Time and Cost Management Contract 2015 contract suites. For several years, Francis was the editor of Sweet & Maxwell’s Construction and Engineering Precedents, one of the leading collections of precedents for the engineering and construction industry. He is ranked in the leading legal directories and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building. Francis also leads the Living Sector at the Firm.
He is qualified in England, Wales and Ireland.
Experience
- Advising a leading hotel chain on the redevelopment of three luxury hotels in London.
- Advising on the development and construction of seven new buildings for Private Rented Sector accommodation in an important city centre.
- Advising a major UK asset manager on fire safety issues in relation to a substantial portfolio of tall buildings.
- Advising on several large district cooling infrastructure projects in the Middle East.
- Advising a multinational bank on construction projects across Africa.
- Advising on the development of New York University Abu Dhabi, Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, Zayed University and a new campus for UAE University.
